Locomotive smoke-box front



Juny 1o, 1923n 1,461,315

A. T. KUEHNER LOC`OMOTIVE SMOKE .BOX FRONT .Filed oct. 4, 1919 Smets-sheet@ izan/einfor- July 10, 1923.

Y A. T. KUEHNER LocoMoTIvE SMOKE Box `FRONT 2 Sheots-Sheet 2- Filed OCL. 4, 1919 Patented July 10, 1923.

.ARTHUR T. KUEHNER, OF ELKRIDGE'MARYLAND.

LOCOIVI'OTIVE SlIOKE-BOX FRONT.

Application led October 4:, 1919f Serial No. 328,562.

To all whom z'z may concern.'

Be 1t known that I, ARTHUR T. KUEHNER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at provide an improved hinge mounting for` the front so that, in removing the front, it may simply be swung to `one side.

A further object of the invention in this connection is to provide a hinge mounting of such nature that the front may be swung clear of any obstructions upon the forward end portion of the locomotive such as bumper knees, and on the Mallett type of locomotive, the steam chest. exhaust pipes, hand rails, headlight, and sand boxes. v

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hinge mounting wherein the front will be hingedly supported at diametric points for eti'ectually sustaining the weight of the front and eliminating sagging as wel] as the extreme stress upon the front and the hinge mounting which would otherwise occur.

And the invention has as a stillfurther object to provide a construction wherein the means employed for normally securing the smoke box front in position will also serve to reinforce the front at its peripheral margin to prevent warping thereof.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:`

Figure l is a side elevation showing a locomotive of conventional type equipped with my improved smoke box front,

, Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the front applied,

Figure 3 is an elevation of the front applied, i

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view showing the uppermost ofthe hinge arms employed, and

` in the front,

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing one of the clamps employed for normally securing the front in position. f j

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have shown'my improved smoke iatiis I box front in connection with a conventional type of locomotive having the` usual smoke box l0. kThe' smokebox frontfis indicated at ll, this front being provided with the usual door 12 and seating flat at its peripheral margin. asis usual, against the customary smoke box ring at kthe front of the smoke box. In this connection it maybe observed that in any instance where the present invention is applied to a locomotive already in use. no change need be made in the door 12. However, where the invention is incorporated in a locomotiveat the time of its constructiomthe door may, owing tothe facility with which the smoke boxfront may be removed as shall presently appear, be much smallerl than'is now commonly praclCed. A i Y Mounted upon the peripheral margin of the front'll at its outer face is a series of abutting at their-ends and forming a'rein- `forcing ring at the outer'margin of the front. As will be seen, these plates will serve to stiften the margin of'the front and will materially tend to vprevent warping thereof such as is now experienced in connection with smoke box fronts as commonly constructed. The plates maybe riveted or otherwise secured in position and the usual bolt holes formed infthe margin of the front to receive the conventional fastening devices thereforv may be employed to receive said rivets. The reinforcing plates' may'accordingly beapplied without structural change tween a pair 'of the lugs l5. Threaded upon Upstanding from Lthe outer f segmentalv reinforcing plates, the majorA vspectively are indicated at 14, the plates .f

said bolts at their outer ends are nuts 1S. Thus, as will be clear, these nuts may be tightened for firmly clamping the smoke box front in position while, by simply loosening the nuts and swinging the clamping bolts 1T rearwardly, the front may be freed.

It is now to be observed that the plates 14 are somewhat longer than the plates 13, the plates 14 being formed, as shall now appear, to provide hinge plates. Formed on these plates at their rear sides are lugs 19. Suitably secured to the forward end portion of the smoke box adjacent its upper side is a hinge plate 2O provided, as particularly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, with a vertical socket Q1 and similarly secured to the smoke box adjacent its lower side is a hinge plate 2Q, offset at its outer end portion away from the smoke box wall. In practice. it is intended that each locomotive shall be equipped with a pair of hinge plates 20 and 22 and I shall now proceed to describe the hinge arms employed to coact with these plates whereby the smoke box front may, 4after having been released, be swung to one side. However, it should be explained in this connection that since itV is practicable to remove the smoke box front only when the locomotive is at a proper shop or terminal, it accordingly becomes unnecessary to permanently mount the hinge arms. It is, therefore, intended that one or more pairs of the hinge arms shall be kept at each shop or terminal and applied when the actual operation of removing the smoke box front of a locomotive is undertaken.

The hinge arms are indicated at 23 and 24 respectively, the arms being shown, in the present instance, applied. These arms are respectively formed 0f long and short inner and outer pivotally connected sections. The longer section of the upper arm 23 is provided at its inner end with a trunnion 25 adapted to removably engage within the socket 21 0f the plate 20. On the other hand, the longer section of the arm 24 is provided at its inner end with a yoke 25 to freely embrace the outer end of the hinge plate 22 to which it is pivotally connected by a pivot bolt 26. Formed on the shorter sections of the arms at their outer ends are yokes 27 adapted to freely embrace the hinge lugs 19 of the plates 14 and pivotally connecting these yokes with said lugs are pivot bolts 28. As will thus be seen the hinge arms may be readily applied. When so applied, the smoke box front may, in the manner previously indicated, be released, when the hinge -arms will then support the front. Consequently, the front may be readily swung to one side and, by pivoting the outer sections of the hinge arms upon the inner sections thereof, may be so moved as to clear all obstructions .such as bumper knees, hand rails, or the like, at the forward end portion of the locomotive, it being possible to not only swing the front horizontally but also turn the front about the vertical axis of the pivot bolts 28 as well as the vertical axis of the pivotal connection between the inner and outer sections of the arms. In this connection, particular attention is directed to the fact that since the outer sections of the arms are mounted to swing upon the inner sections thereof while the front may also be rotated upon the outer sections, it becomes possible to move the front away from the smoke box for a certain distance'in a straight line when the front may then be swung laterally. Furthermore, since the hinge plates 14 are disposed diametrically opposite each other, the hinge arms will support the smoke box front medially thereof. Sagging such as would occur were the' front to be hinged at one side, will accordingly be eliminated while the stress 0f the front will be more equally distributed between the hinge arms. Extending rearwardly from the uppermost of the hinge plates 14 is an Iarcuate flange Q9 engaging over the forward mar- .cin of the smoke box wall at its upper side. This flange is designed to support the smoke box front should the bolts 17 be unintentionally released before the hinge arms are applied so as to prevent accidental dropning of vthe front.. It will accordingly be seen that 1 provide a particularly effective construction for the purpose set forth while the smoke box front may be readily employed in connection with substantially any conventional type of locomotive.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The Combination with a locomotive` and a smoke box front closing the smoke box of the locomotive, of a series of mating plates extending around [the peripheral man gin of the front and forming ay reinforcing ring` thereon, means coacting with certain of said plates for detachably securing the front in position, and means adapted to extend between the smoke box and certain other oppositely disposed plates for pivotally supporting the front whereby the front may be swung to one side.

2. The combination with a locomotive, and a smoke box front closing the smoke box of the locomotive, of reinforcing plates carried by the peripheral margin of the front and provided with lugs, plates secured to the smoke box, clamping bolts pivoted upon the latter plates and coacting with said lugs for detachably securing the front in position, and means adapted to extend between the smoke box and the front for pivotally supporting the front whereby the front may be swung to one side.

53. The combination with locomotive smoke box, of a front for the smoke box movable to `open position in substantial parallelism with the iront end oi the smoke box, fastening means for the front, a mounting carried by the smoke box, a mounting Carried by therfront, and an arm engagea-ble with said mountings for suspending vthe front for bodily movement away from the smoke box when said fastening means are released but normally detachedV from said mountings whereby a single arm may iunotion-as a master fitting for engagement With corresponding mountings of several looomotives.

si. The combination with a locomotive smoke box, or' a front movable to open position in substantial parallelism With' the front end of the smoke box, fastening means for the iront, and suspension means extendingbetween the smoke box and front at the rear of the front for sustaining the front when said fastening means are released for bodily movement away from the smoke box lits inner side lying near Vto a side of the as Well asrotation about a vertical axis lying in a plane at the rear of the front whereby the front may be moved to a position having smoke box substantially parallel to the axis of the smoke box. v

. 5. The combination Withr .a locomotive smoke box, of a front vfor the smoke box Inovable to open position in substantial parallelism with the iront end of the smoke box, fastening means for the front, ak socket mounted upon the smoke box, a plate mounted upon the front, an arm extending between said socket and plate and formed or" pivotally connected sections one having a trunnion rotatably fitting `in said socket, and means pivotally connecting another of' said sections with said'plate, the arm being disposed to suspend the front for bodily moves nient yaway from the smoke boi; when said fastening means are released. M

In testimony whereof l aliix my signature.

ARTHUR T. KUEHNER. [1.. s.]. 

